Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, and Alec Guinness. In the story, a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance and led by Princess Leia, plots to destroy the Death Star space station, which carries a planet-destroying capability created by the Galactic Empire. This conflict disrupts the isolated life of farmboy Luke Skywalker when he inadvertently acquires the droids containing the stolen plans for the Death Star. After the Empire begins a destructive search for the missing droids, Skywalker agrees to accompany Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to return the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance and save the galaxy from the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. RiffTrax released their riff in December 2008. Synopsis and Preview The galaxy is in a civil war, and spies for the Rebel Alliance have stolen plans to the Galactic Empire's Death Star, a heavily armed and armored space station capable of destroying an entire planet. Rebel leader Princess Leia is in possession of the plans, but her ship is captured by Imperial forces under the command of the evil lord Darth Vader. Before she is captured, Leia hides the plans in the memory of an astromech droid called R2-D2, along with a holographic recording. The small droid flees to the surface of the desert planet Tatooine with fellow protocol droid C-3PO. The droids are captured by Jawa traders, who sell the pair to moisture farmers Owen and Beru and their nephew, Luke Skywalker. While Luke is cleaning R2-D2, he accidentally triggers part of Leia's message, in which she requests help from Obi-Wan Kenobi. The only "Kenobi" Luke knows of is an old hermit named Ben Kenobi who lives in the nearby hills. The next morning, Luke finds R2-D2 searching for Obi-Wan, and meets Ben Kenobi, who reveals himself to be Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan tells Luke of his days as a Jedi Knight, one of a faction of former galactic peacekeepers with supernatural powers derived from an energy field called the Force, who were wiped out by the Empire. Contrary to his uncle's statements, Luke learns that his father fought alongside Obi-Wan as a Jedi Knight before he was betrayed and killed by Vader, Obi-Wan's former pupil who turned to the dark side of the Force. Obi-Wan then offers Luke his father's lightsaber. Obi-Wan views Leia's complete message in which she begs him to take the Death Star plans to her home planet of Alderaan and give them to her father for analysis. Obi-Wan invites Luke to accompany him to Alderaan and learn the ways of the Force. Luke initially declines, but changes his mind after discovering that Imperial stormtroopers searching for C-3PO and R2-D2 have destroyed his home and killed his aunt and uncle. Obi-Wan and Luke hire smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate Chewbacca to transport them on their ship, the Millennium Falcon. Upon the Falcon's arrival at Alderaan, they find out that the planet has been destroyed by order of the Death Star's commanding officer, Grand Moff Tarkin, as a demonstration of the Death Star's power. The Falcon is captured by the Death Star's tractor beam and brought into its hangar bay. While Obi-Wan goes to disable the tractor beam, Luke discovers that Leia is imprisoned aboard and, with the help of Han and Chewbacca, rescues her. After several harrowing escapes, the group makes its way back to the Falcon. Obi-Wan engages in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader and is killed. The Falcon escapes the Death Star, unknowingly carrying a tracking device that enables the Empire to follow it to the rebels' hidden base on Yavin IV. The rebels analyze the Death Star plans and identify a vulnerable exhaust port that connects to the station's main reactor. Luke joins the rebel assault squadron, while Han collects his payment for the transport and intends to leave despite Luke's request that he stay and help. In the ensuing battle, the rebels suffer heavy losses after several unsuccessful attack runs, leaving Luke one of the few surviving pilots. Vader leads a squad of TIE fighters and prepares to attack Luke's X-wing ship, but Han returns and fires on the Imperials, sending Vader spiraling away. Helped by spiritual guidance from Obi-Wan to use the Force, Luke successfully destroys the Death Star seconds before it can fire on the rebel base. Leia later awards Luke and Han with medals for their heroism. Cast and Crew *Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker *Harrison Ford as Han Solo *Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia *Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin *Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi *Anthony Daniels as C-3PO *Kenny Baker as R2-D2 *Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca *James Earl Jones and David Prowse as Darth Vader Notes See Also *The Empire Strikes Back *Return of the Jedi *The Phantom Menace *Attack of the Clones *Revenge of the Sith External Links *Star Wars: Episode IV on RiffTrax *Star Wars: Episode IV on Amazon Category:Star Wars Category:Star Wars Original Trilogy Category:RiffTrax Category:Official RiffTrax Category:RiffTrax in 2008